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NASCAR CUP SERIES: COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500September 6, 2020Kevin HarvickDarlington, South Carolina THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for taking the time to join us, and congratulations on another win at Darlington and winning in the playoffs. Can you just walk us through your run and what it feels like to get that first win heading into the playoffs? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, well, it was a battle. It wasn't necessarily pretty. But everybody on our Busch beer Ford Mustang team did a great job tonight keeping us in the race. Rodney had great strategy. Our car was extremely loose all night, and we were able to manage to get it better but never really got it going as good as we'd like to. But they battled, and we kept ourselves in the right spot. The leaders got tangled up and we were in position to capitalize on that. Definitely weren't the fastest car but definitely put ourselves in a position to capitalize on a moment. Q. Kevin, what did you see there? I know you were about four seconds behind. Did Fedewa come over and say, hey, the leaders just got into it, or how did that come on your radar? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, I didn't see anything. Timmy came on the radio and told me that the leaders had just wrecked. At that particular point the whole game changes just because of the fact that obviously I knew we were running third. At that point it was managing what I had behind me and trying to make sure that I didn't make any big mistakes to give up big chunks of time. As we went through the next couple laps, obviously I could see the 9 and 19 getting progressively closer to me as we were making laps, and the 19 pitted there, and when I passed the 9 I saw that he was all tore up. So it was definitely a strange cycle of laps there over those four or five laps. Q. You've talked in the past about how experience matters. Looks like again today the veteran guys‑‑ you win. I'm curious, what do you see in Chase Elliott and do you think he of all the young guys has maybe the best shot to get into the Final Four? KEVIN HARVICK: Well, I think this lines up well for Chase when you look at the racetracks. Obviously they run well here. He's a very good road course racer. He runs well at Bristol. I think when you look at the way that the racetracks line out, if they can capitalize on their strengths, they have a good opportunity to do what they need to do. He runs well at Martinsville, too. I think as you look at those things, I think if‑‑ now you just have to try to capitalize on your strengths and go from there. It's definitely a handful of races that line up good for him. Q. How much do you feel with this first round including Darlington and Bristol that it seems like to me maybe pit strategy and crew chief decisions play a little bit bigger role this first round than maybe in past rounds? KEVIN HARVICK: Well, I can tell you that my crew chief tonight basically kept us in position to win this race. We didn't have the race car that we needed, but that strategy that they kept employing got us track position and was going to be the winning strategy if the caution doesn't come out at the end with myself or the 9 there at the end. Strategy and making the right calls was 100 percent what kept us in this race tonight, so I think you nailed that one just because of the fact that there's a lot of different ways you can line this race up, and the same thing will happen next week. You have pretty heavy tire wear at Richmond, and Bristol there's always some strategy that comes into play. Yeah, that's a very good point. Q. When you won the first race back when we restarted here in May, you seemed very struck when you got out of the car about the silence. There was nobody here other than the participants. I just wondered, it's not back to normal, but how striking of a difference was it tonight compared to when you won here in May? KEVIN HARVICK: Oh, it was way better. I mean, it was‑‑ to get out of that race car and have all that emotion and finally have somebody to share it with and get a reaction that comes with your excitement from the fans, and to have that enthusiasm that goes hand in hand with your‑‑ the things that you say and the things that you do and the reactions that you get, it felt really good. That's the first race that I've won this year that anybody has been here. But I think back to the first race here, and for me that was really the moment that put it all into perspective of where we were and what we were doing and how drastic of a situation it was when you have all that enthusiasm to share with nobody and just dead silence. It felt really, really good to have some cheering fans in the grandstands and be able to experience that again. Q. Back in May did you think we would ever get to this point where we would be all caught up on the schedule starting the playoffs and actually start having fans back at races? KEVIN HARVICK: You know, I think back in May, I probably thought that, but as we went through so many different situations of things happening, and you see all the things in the world that are happening and just the way that so many things were changing so rapidly, as we got those last five or six races announced, you didn't really know if you were actually going to get to go to some of these racetracks, and then you see Watkins Glen pulled and then we go to Daytona. I think it says a lot about the plan that we actually have, has NASCAR has done a great job of navigating everything and having backup plans. I don't think it's over yet, either. I think there's still some things to navigate it sounds like as we go forward, so it's just‑‑ you just kind of roll with the punches, and honestly, I just quit paying attention because it'll wear you out. But everybody has done a great job to get us back on schedule and had a great plan, and it's pretty unbelievable to see where we are today. Q. With your points total and everything, you were pretty much assured of going on to the second round. You'd have to have a catastrophic three races in a row for that to happen, but you are officially going forward now. Does this change your outlook, your strategy even in the slightest? KEVIN HARVICK: Well, we had that‑‑ we knew we had done a great job in the regular season and had built a buffer, and I think that‑‑ just like you saw Rodney call this race tonight, I think there were several moments where we could have been a lap down and he called this race to win. I think he knows the importance of winning races. He also knows the importance of that cushion that's sitting there. But the best way up is to have that cushion get bigger, and tonight we were able to do that, and as you go into the next round, that cushion is going to be bigger than it was when we got here today. That's just the great spot that we're in that we can continue to be aggressive and make aggressive calls and do aggressive things to try to win. Tonight we were fortunate to be in the right spot, but we were fortunate that we were in the right spot because of great pit calls and all the things that were happening on the pit box and in the pit stall. Q. We saw there at the end of the race that a young fan tried to hand you the checkered flag and you told him to keep it. What does that mean to you personally to be able to bring something like that to the fans, especially young fans knowing that you can't have Keelan at the racetrack? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, so I mean, I'm a little biased towards the kids. Seeing that young man standing up there with his 4 hat on and holding that flag, there was no way I was getting out of my car and taking that flag. Hopefully that's something that he can remember and remember going forward as he tells his friends and his family, and hopefully everybody remembers that and comes back again. That's what it's all about, right, making sure that people have a great time, and we're back with fans at the racetrack, and to see those kids back in the grandstands is a lot of fun. Q. Has Keelan given you any harder of a time about not having a cardboard cutout in the car for your wins? KEVIN HARVICK: That's only a Michigan thing. We have definitely declared Michigan as the only spot that he can ride. That would be a lot of work to do that in more than one spot. Q. In your 17 starts at RCR, you've finished inside the top 5 three times at Darlington and you've only finished outside the top 5 once since joining SHR. Would you point to Rodney in terms of that improvement, or would it be an overall change of mindset or skill set at Darlington for you? KEVIN HARVICK: You know, I think as you go back in time and you look at that beginning of the relationship that we had at SHR with myself and Rodney, they put a lot of emphasis on Darlington and Dover and Pocono and some of those places that didn't have a glaring good record from what I had previously done. But this was definitely one of the places that we spent a lot of time looking through Jimmie Johnson and the Hendrick Motorsports stuff when we had that relationship to start with and did a lot of things on our own that Rodney thought were right with the car and kind of put that at the racetrack, and it's been a lot of fun to drive those race cars ever since I've been at Stewart‑Haas Racing. He loves coming to Darlington. He loves going to Bristol, and to win those races, I know all the guys on the team put a lot of effort into this particular race, so to come here and achieve that is something that I know that they put a lot of pride into. Q. You're on the verge of a 10‑win season. How big of a deal would it be to have double‑digit wins with this kind of competition? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, you know, I try not to look and think about things like that just because I don't want the karma train to hit me in the back and splat me. But I think right now we just have to keep doing what we're doing. Tonight was not a night that we felt like we had a winning car, but we were in position to capitalize on the situation and win the race. However we have to do it, if it winds up being eight or if it winds up being more than eight, it's been a great year and we're going to battle week in and week out over these next nine weeks and hopefully put ourselves in position to have a chance when we get to Phoenix. Q. Also you break this tie with Kyle Busch so you go single digits on the all‑time list. I look at it and go, that's pretty cool. I was there for your first win, now I'm watching you guys go single digits‑‑ KEVIN HARVICK: We're getting old. Q. Yeah, man. How do you look at that? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, you know, I'm just‑‑ I look at that list and I laugh, just because I think back to all the crazy situations and all the things that we've been a part of throughout the years and just the highs and the lows. Look, you know, I've been fortunate to be around a lot of great people and sit in great race cars, and these last seven years have just been unbelievable at Stewart‑Haas Racing, and Rodney and the whole company is just‑‑ they put a ton of effort into trying to make sure that we go to the racetrack and have a chance to win. From a driver standpoint, it's a driver's dream to have Tony and Gene and all they want to do is race and win, and to be able to have those assets and have the resources that we have with Ford, and so much has changed since I started at Stewart‑Haas Racing, no Tony, we switched manufacturers, and there's been a lot of change. But in the end, it's all to try to win races and just‑‑ it's just fun to be able to share that with a group of people that care so much about myself and the things that we do with this car and that company, and everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction, and when that's happening, when you have great people, it just continues to get better. Q. Two quick questions for you: First, you mentioned earlier that Rodney basically kept you guys in this one all night. I think back to one of the‑‑ it might have been the first pit stop, but one of the very early pit stops where you guys had a long stop but he called for a left front wheel packer at that point and it was right when you guys weren't looking too good. Was that the start of the turnaround because it seemed like after that you got a little track position, that change seemed to be the one that really sparked the start of your night. KEVIN HARVICK: The car definitely responded to that. It hadn't really responded to much that we had done before that, so they definitely had to take a little bit of time on the pit stop to make that change. But it definitely put us closer to where we needed to be. We still never got to where we needed to be, but it definitely put us in the ballpark. Q. To follow up on the question about the fans. I know this is the Southern 500, it comes with not necessarily needing extra motivation, but for you having won here in May with no fans, was there maybe a little extra motivation for you having the fans in the stands and really wanting to have that celebration the right way this time? KEVIN HARVICK: Probably not the answer you want to hear, but no. I think as you look at the race itself and the start of the playoffs and everything that was starting today, that was pretty motivating. But I can tell you that it was very rewarding getting out of the car and being able to share that emotion and that excitement with the fans and to see them back in the grandstands. It just changes the whole atmosphere when the fans are here. I was excited to see everybody in the grandstands and definitely fed off that enthusiasm and excitement. Q. The final laps you were fighting against Austin Dillon for the win and he's in a situation you've been in before, taking over an iconic ride at Richard Childress Racing. What have you seen from him this season and how impressed with his development have you been over the years? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, I think for me at the end it was just trying to manage that gap and do everything that I could to make sure that I didn't miss my marks in Turn 3. I probably gave up a little bit more time than I needed to on the last lap. You know, I think those guys are obviously doing good and hopefully they can keep it going. Q. Given that this is the first time you've won Darlington on throwback weekend, I just wanted to ask you about your tribute and the creative process that led to having that be your throwback theme. What was the creative process like and how did you come to the decision to honor the legacy of the Busch Series and your two championships there? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, I didn't have anything to do with it. The one thing that I can tell you is everybody from Busch beer does a great job. There's no other sponsor in the sport that activates and puts more thought and effort into every single race that they run. Every market has activation in it, and in the end we're selling beer. That's what we're here to do is to increase beer sales. The special paint scheme is something that goes right into the race weekend, and everybody at Darlington Raceway does a great job in creating this atmosphere that really lets us pay tribute to a lot of different things. You know, the Busch Series back in the day was obviously something that got me started, and to see that brand style throwback, I guess, for me brought back a lot of great memories. To see and remember the '01 championship and the '06 championship and hear some of the footage and some of the things that they sent along with the car was a lot of fun to go back and watch. Busch always does a great job, and everybody else should be taking notes from a sponsor standpoint because this is how you're supposed to do it. Q. Anthony Alfredo in the Xfinity Series race actually ran the old Coast Guard car. Did you take note of that, and what were your thoughts on seeing that? KEVIN HARVICK: I was aware of that. Yeah, they did a great job with that particular scheme. We won a lot of races in that car. That '06 year when we had the Coast Guard sponsorship and everything was rolling, it was quite a year. Brought back a lot of great memories. Q. Kevin, I've had the privilege of watching your entire Cup Series career both as a race fan and now as a member of the media, so I've seen you go from the rookie who replaced Dale Earnhardt and beat Jeff Gordon in a photo finish in Atlanta to joining both those drivers on NASCAR's tier of all‑time drivers. I don't know if I'm the only one who's ever told you this, but what does it mean to you when people tell you that or something along those lines? KEVIN HARVICK: Yeah, well, you know, when you start looking around the win list and you start seeing the names that you're around, you just start thinking to yourself, man, these are some of the greatest drivers that ever came through our sport. There's a lot of responsibility that comes with that. You've got to do your part and hopefully we can keep doing what we're doing on the racetrack and keep climbing up there. There's not much to climb over the next 18 or 19 wins, 20 wins, whatever it is. It's just a big gap. Long ways to the next one. THE MODERATOR: Kevin, that's all we've got for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. Congratulations on the win and we'll see you at Richmond. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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